The Aral Sea

Once a center of commerce and community, the Aral Sea spent the Soviet era as a dumping ground for toxic waste and the irrigation source for all the surrounding fields. As the water levels drained from over-irrigation and rising global temperatures, it left behind a barren wasteland of grounded ships and toxin-laced soils. When the winds rise over these newly-revealed lands, the air fills with poisonous dust.
Rates of cancer from these windborne toxins are higher than average as far away as southern Kyrgyzstan. Most people in the area have lived there for generations, and the land remains their home despite the danger the dust storms pose. Many of the residents in the area are mutated—with horrible birth defects or wondrous superpowers.
Not many superhumans, even locals, can do much with the area. The toxins spread too unpredictably for villains to exploit, and the problem is too huge for even the most dedicated hero. Pozhiratel, who is immune to the toxins and is able to convert them to rich soil, is an exception to this rule, but even he’s beginning to feel the strain of taking on such a huge job.